The Villain is Too Good at Sniping

99. Review and Preview (2)

In the end, Sion became part of Team 1.

Kyle Ivanstear, an unknown extra… and Chloe, forming a party of three.

“Let’s do our best, Sion.”

“We can definitely win!”

Despite the lively atmosphere, Sion’s expression wasn’t very good.

We could win, of course. That’s how the original story went.

‘No. We have to win.’

Sion shook his head.

The result of this team training was more important than I thought. It wasn’t just about forming a team and sparring; it was about selecting excellent students to represent Arsen.

In the original story, the students selected to represent Arsen were Kyle, Serin, Aire, Rara, Esili, and Kai Alma, and Gardener Meridian.

The seven students selected to represent Arsen would engage in a battle against students from other academies.

During the period of the Academy Exchange, each department participated in various tasks and tournaments, ultimately leading to Arsen’s victory.

This was also the time when the main characters started to take their roles seriously.

Kyle didn’t know, but Sion’s mind was complicated. Initially, he had planned to achieve moderate results and withdraw, but he ended up being on the same team as Kyle.

Moreover, they had to win the upcoming individual tournament, alongside Kyle Ivanstier, who was part of the same team.

According to the original story, if Kyle won, the students from Team 1 would have a high probability of being selected as Arsen’s representatives.

In other words, Sion would also be selected as Arsen’s representative, competing against students from other academies.

Since he couldn’t drop Kyle from the team, Sion had to participate in the individual tournament, gritting his teeth.

“Just a little more! One more set!”

“Are you going to do one more set here? You said that earlier, Cloe.”

“It’s better to finish what we started. Gradual overload!”

Kyle Ivanstier, the main character of this episode, was receiving encouragement from Cloe and was focused on his weightlifting exercises with a carefree expression.

“You’re doing great! You’re doing great!”

“Haaah…!”

“Wow!”

Kyle, who was sitting on the bench press, struggled to push his arms forward. Despite trembling, he finally finished his workout for the day.

Kyle slowly got down from the bench press, massaging his tired muscles, and looked at Cloe.

“But Cloe, you’re a magician. Do you really need to come to the physical training room?”

Unlike Kyle, who had just finished his training, Cloe had only been watching and hadn’t done any exercises.

“That’s… true. I came here to ensure the safety of myself and Kyle-nim. I’m also from the combat department, not magic.”

“For safety reasons? We’re just doing indoor exercises, anyway.”

“It’s not that. If I’m alone, I might be in danger and get caught up in unnecessary trouble.”

Kyle still looked puzzled.

“So, I’ll stay by your side. At least with a partner, we won’t be easily targeted.”

“Do we really need to do that?”

Cloe took a step closer and whispered in Kyle’s ear.

“…You never know. Other teams might secretly attack us or try to prevent us from participating in the training.”

“Ah, come on. We’re all students, anyway.”

Kkkiik!

At that moment, the sound of weights dropping echoed, and Kyle and Cloe turned around simultaneously. Sion, who had been quietly working out in the corner of the physical training room, had finished his last set.

Sion, who had been holding his breath for a moment, looked at Kyle.

“Cloe’s right. While it’s unlikely, such cases do happen.”

“Such cases…?”

“Well, like Cloe said, we might not get openly attacked, but we could get caught up in unnecessary trouble. So, it’s better to stick together if possible.”

It might seem trivial, but it was something that had actually happened in the original story.

For example, someone might try to disrupt our training or pretend to make mistakes to injure us.

It wasn’t about having a fair competition, but about trying to prevent the opponent from participating.

“Of course, if we compare degrees, the students from Yoahim and Dongbanghwa are more extreme. They’re not just trying to surpass us, but they really want to crush the Arsen students this time.”

However, the conflicts within Arsen were only at the level of petty squabbles.

At most, they would just try to distract us or disrupt our focus, and most of the time, the professors or instructors would intervene and put a stop to it.

But the guys from Yoahim and Dongbanghwa were different. As Isabella said, they were sharpening their knives, and they really wanted to thoroughly crush Arsen in this exchange.

Due to the numerous small incidents that occurred, Sion remembered them.

“Uh, um…….”

“This is a big deal. That thing.”

As soon as the tense atmosphere dissipated, Sion added a word.

“What’s important for now is to finish this training session first, and we don’t need to think about it yet. It’s more important to win and rise above.”

It wasn’t something to think about immediately, and it was okay to review it later as an Arsen representative.

Sion let out his arms, and his legs, which had been stretched to the limit, were freed from their restraints. Unlike Kyle, who was focused on building strength, Sion was cultivating flexibility.

Sion stood up from his seat and did some light stretching. Unlike before, his movements were natural and not stiff.

“By the way, did you see the tournament bracket that came out this time?”

“Yeah, I saw it. It’s 4 teams. That’s Ellyn’s team.”

“Are you prepared?”

“Um, I can’t say it’s perfect, but… *ahem*!”

Cloe playfully tapped Kyle’s back due to his unsatisfactory answer, and Sion let out a dry laugh.

The first team they would face was Team 4.

It was the team led by Ellyn Beonard.

Time remaining until the event – 00:00:00

The event begins.

[Main Quest: Team Training]

A training session for students at Arsen Academy before the inter-academy competition.

Your enemies are not just monsters; sometimes, you must fight against ruthless villains. The path of a hero is fraught with difficulties, and endless trials will await you.

Participate in team training with your teammates and surpass your limits. How far can you go?

***

“Then, please take your positions in order.”

And the next afternoon.

The students of Class A gathered again at the training grounds. The first notable team training was finally about to begin.

“Representatives of each team, Kyle Ivanstear and Ellyn Beonard, please come forward to the arena.”

The first team training was between Team 1, which consisted of Kyle and Sion, and Team 4, led by Ellyn Beonard.

At the call of Instructor Isabella, Kyle and Ellyn stepped onto the chessboard-like arena.

I stood a few steps away with Cloe, waiting.

Kyle and Ellyn faced each other.

“The rules are the same as before; we will follow the rules used in student duels. The instructors present will record the scores from now on. We will evaluate fairly and carefully, and any objections will not be accepted.”

About ten instructors stood in a solemn line.

From now on, these instructors would record points and deductions from all directions, observing carefully to prevent any foul play.

“Let me remind you that first… any student who leaves the arena will be disqualified, and any exceptions will be treated as forfeits.”

Both Kyle and Ellyn showed signs of tension. It was a different kind of tension from the entrance exam.

The gazes of the A-class students watching from all directions were also unsettling, and the instructors’ gazes, hidden behind sunglasses, were unclear. This added to the pressure.

“Secondly, any team found to have committed foul play will be disqualified, regardless of their accumulated scores. This team training must be conducted fairly.”

As Isabella said this, she looked at me.

Perhaps it was because I had given Kyle a hard time during the entrance exam, and she was warning me.

Of course, the entrance exam and team training were separate matters. If I were on a different team, I would fight fairly and then retreat, but now I was on the same Team 1 as Kyle.

No matter what happens, we have to make Kyle the winner.

“Thirdly, the duel arena is a magically treated area where attacks are controlled, and all damage is nullified.”

Isabella snapped her fingers, and a small whirlwind appeared in the center of the duel arena. Kyle and Elin’s hair was blown away by the wind, but the students outside the arena were not affected at all.

“You don’t need to hold back, but mental attacks or debuff magic cannot be used, and a warning will be given immediately if such magic is cast. If the warning is accumulated twice or more, it will be considered a foul and result in disqualification.”

All magic and swordsmanship that appear here will only be effective within this arena and will not affect the outside.

Attacks within the arena will be thoroughly controlled, and any injuries received will disappear immediately after leaving the arena.

That’s why Isabella told us not to hold back. Unlike the previous judgments made by the Watch, this time, the students will actually exchange blows.

I observed the barrier with [Observer’s Eye]. While I could sense that there was something there, I couldn’t see the flow of magic or the structure of the barrier. At the very least, a high-level barrier was surrounding the duel arena.

“Are you ready? Then let’s begin the duel.”

“Representative of Team 1, Kyle Ivanstear. I’m ready.”

On the other hand, Elin Beonard’s response was a bit late.

“Representative of Team 4… Elin Beonard. I’m… probably ready.”

Her ambiguous response seemed to imply that she was not fully prepared. However, once they stepped onto the duel arena, there was no going back.

“Then, let’s begin the first duel. Instructor Szejard.”

Isabella stepped down from the stage, and a middle-aged instructor with a rugged face took her place.

The instructor, wearing an eye patch over one eye, was Instructor Szejard, who was in charge of the overall training and would also serve as a judge for the upcoming Academy Exchange Tournament.

“Let’s begin.”

Instructor Szejard, standing on the stage, quietly drew his sword. It seemed like he was saying that it was not his job to give instructions, and he simply pointed his sword at the duel arena.

A gentle breeze swept across my body. In that moment, the barrier between Kyle and Elin disappeared.

“Then… let’s do this, Elin.”

“Ah, really. I don’t know what will happen……”

Kyle and Elin said different things as they drew their swords.

I also gripped my Glock, standing alongside Cloe. There were two unknown extras on Team 4 as well.

However, I couldn’t let my guard down. The unknown extras could be unpredictable enemies that I didn’t know about.

If it were Lara Stillhaiden or Serin Anet, I would think about countermeasures, but the two extras in front of me now were almost forgettable except for their faces.

Above all, the time to analyze and prepare for the opponent was severely lacking this time.

The only thing that came to mind was that the student with blue hair had a new rifle as their main weapon.

He must be in the same sniper position as me. So, the one I need to mark is the sniper on the opposing team.

I heard a nervous rustling sound from the side. It was Cloe, who seemed to have finally realized that she was going to fight against a student in the duel arena.

“Will we be okay?”

“Don’t be scared. We’ve already experienced it during the entrance exam. It won’t be much different this time.”

“But I was hiding until the end and got eliminated during the entrance exam……?”

“……?”

That was a story I hadn’t heard before.

“What if we get hurt?”

“Didn’t you listen to the instructor’s words?”

“That’s not what I mean. What if I or another team member gets hurt? Since most of my magic is area-of-effect based, if I get attacked in the middle……”

…It seemed like that was the case.

In short, it’s a matter of casting time.

During the preparation of the wide-area spell, we need to stall for time, but if we’re attacked during that process, there’s a risk that the magic we’re casting will go awry.

If that happens, our teammates might get caught up in the magic as well, which is why I’m feeling anxious.

We’ve heard that if we step out of the arena, we’ll be disqualified, so we have no choice.

“Then don’t worry and just focus on casting from behind.”

“Yes…?”

“I’ll take care of the archer and the mage… somehow.”

I crossed my dagger and Glock, taking a step forward.

It wasn’t a bluff. With the dagger and [Observer’s Eye] I received from Camille Esperanza, as well as [Restrained Trajectory], I could hold my own.

Moreover, my understanding of ＜Dual Wielding﹥ has increased since we defeated the Doppleganger in Elysium. It wouldn’t be bad to test my new skills in this battle.

And most importantly, we have Kail on our team. With the strongest tank on our side, it’s a fight worth having.

“Haah, hoo…”.

But the breathing I felt behind me was unfamiliar. I could hear a faint, almost imperceptible breathing sound.

‘Chloe Garnet’s’ favorability towards you has increased greatly.

Your current favorability with ‘Chloe Garnet’ is ‘a person who somehow keeps catching my eye’.

…Why?